简 meaning and stroke order
Simple, succinct, terse; a letter
How to write 简, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 简
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- simple
- uncomplicated
- letter
- to choose
- to select
- bamboo strips used for writing (old)
How 简 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bamboo.
⺮ gives the meaning and 间 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺮ (bamboo), shared by 149 characters on this site.
How to remember 简
简 is bamboo ⺮ on top of 间 (jiān), which gives the sound. Picture old bamboo strips used for writing: with so little space on each strip, people had to keep their words simple and brief.
简 almost always appears in compounds about being simple or brief, such as 简单 (jiǎndān), 简历 (jiǎnlì) and 简介 (jiǎnjiè). Example: 这个问题很简单。(Zhège wèntí hěn jiǎndān.) This question is very simple.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 问 or 闻 instead of 间, which has 日 inside 门. Also watch the tone: 简 is third tone jiǎn, while its sound part 间 is first tone jiān.
Common words with 简
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 简单 | jiǎndān | simple; not complicated | HSK 3 |
| 简直 | jiǎnzhí | simply; really | HSK 3 |
| 简历 | jiǎnlì | curriculum vitae (CV); résumé | HSK 4 |
| 简介 | jiǎnjiè | summary; brief introduction | HSK 6 |
| 简短 | jiǎnduǎn | brief (statement, summary etc); briefly | HSK 7-9 |
| 简称 | jiǎnchēng | to be abbreviated to; abbreviation; short form | HSK 7-9 |
| 简洁 | jiǎnjié | concise; succinct | HSK 7-9 |
| 简陋 | jiǎnlòu | simple and crude | HSK 7-9 |
| 简易 | jiǎnyì | simple and easy; simplistic | HSK 7-9 |
| 简化 | jiǎnhuà | to simplify | HSK 7-9 |
| 简要 | jiǎnyào | concise; brief | HSK 7-9 |
| 精简 | jīngjiǎn | to simplify; to reduce | HSK 7-9 |
| 简体字 | jiǎntǐzì | simplified Chinese character, as opposed to traditional Chinese character 繁體字|繁体字[fan2 ti3 | HSK 7-9 |
| 简体 | jiǎntǐ | simplified form of Chinese characters, as opposed to traditional form 繁體|繁体[fan2 ti3] |
简 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 简
How many strokes are in 简?
简 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 简 mean?
简 (jiǎn) means simple, succinct, terse; a letter. A common word with it is 简单 (jiǎndān), meaning "simple; not complicated".
How do you pronounce 简?
简 is pronounced jiǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 简?
The radical of 简 is ⺮, which carries the idea of "bamboo". Dictionaries list 简 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 简?
The traditional form of 简 is 簡. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 简 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 简 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 简 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What does 简直 mean and how is it used?
简直 (jiǎnzhí) is an adverb meaning simply or practically, used to exaggerate a feeling. For example, 这简直太好了 (zhè jiǎnzhí tài hǎo le) means this is simply wonderful. It does not mean simple in the sense of easy.
Why is it called 简体字 for simplified Chinese?
简体字 (jiǎntǐzì) literally means simplified-form characters, using 简 in its sense of simple. Mainland China uses 简体字, while Taiwan and Hong Kong use 繁体字 (fántǐzì), traditional characters.